Edwards looks to fill the void during the Chase

Winless since March 2011, Edwards won't be part of the Chase for the Sprint Cup this season. When the driver who lost last year's championship on a tiebreaker comes to the track for the final 10 races, there will be a void.

"Everything I've done this year has been geared toward these 10 races, and the idea of missing them ... that wasn't the plan," Edwards said Friday at Chicagoland Speedway.

"I'm physically fit as I can be. I'm mentally fit. I'm prepared, and I feel like we're ready to go, and there are still victories out there, but there's not that huge goal, and that's tough. I don't know how to really put that into words."

Whether it's battling Kyle Busch for 13th in the standings or helping teammates Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle -- both of whom qualified for NASCAR's playoff -- Edwards needs something to compensate for the absence of a title run.

"I need a challenge," Edwards said. "That's what I told Jack and the guys. If there's anything I can do to help Matt and Greg, anything to give me a goal, that's how I'm built."

To Edwards, perhaps the most disappointing aspect about missing the Chase is the knowledge that any of the 12 eligible drivers can put together a 10-race championship run, as Tony Stewart proved last year when he won five races in the Chase and overtook Edwards for the title.

Less is less

Could a lack of running other series have hurt Edwards and Busch? Last year Busch started the Chase first in points and Edwards was fifth. Below is their all-series totals in 2011 and '12.

Starts

Edwards 2011

Edwards 2012

Busch 2011

Busch 2012

Wins

9

1

18

1

Top-5s

42

3

42

10

Top-10s

53

12

49

20

Laps Led

2,790

263

3,280

805

Avg. Finish

7.9

14.9

9.6

14.5

"That's why it's so painful for Kyle and I, to be on the outside, because we know anything can happen," Edwards said. "What if I go out there in this 99 car, and me and [crew chief] Chad [Norris] win six races and dominate. How sickening would that be, to not be in it?"

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